Vacuum clothes dryer



March 14, 1967 c. w. LAMBERT 3,308,553

VACUUM CLOTHES DRYER Filed June 16, 1966 2 Sheets$heet 1 GMLW 1N VENTOR.

March 14, 1967 c. w. LAMBERT 3,308,553

VACUUM CLOTHES DRYER Filed June 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 00000 7' l QOQOQL-LI-E (TA/4W IN VENTOR.

United States Patent 3,308,553 VACUUM CLOTHES DRYER Chandley William Lambert, P.O. Box 56, Lake Dallas, Tex. 75065 Filed June 16, 1966, Ser. No. 559,373 2 Claims. (Cl. 34-92) The invention relates to vacuum clothes dryers in general and to Pat. No. 3,229,382 in particular.

The invention shows a dryer having several fewer parts than in the above mentioned patent and a simplified basket rotating mechanism and a contacting control for that rotation.

FIG. 1 of the drawing shows a side elevation of the dryer, partly in section.

FIG. 2 shows a combination of front and rear elevation of the dryer and its essential parts.

FIG. 3 shows a contacting mechanism which controls basket rotation.

In all figures of the drawing the same parts have the same reference numbers.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown frame 1, drum 2, interior frame 3, ratcheting coil 4, movable armature 5, compression spring 6, guided rod 7 to which armature is secured, rod guide 8, ratcheting pin 9 secured to rod 7, and slot 10 of ratchet arm 11. Pin 9 fits in slot 10.

Arm 11 swings loosely on shaft 12. Ratchet wheel 15 and basket 16 are secured to shaft 12. Ratcheting spring pawl 13 is pivoted to arm 11 and holding pawl 14 is pivoted to frame 3.

Reducing valve 21, by pass valve 22, and vacuum pump perform the same functions as in the above named patent.

The open top insulated heating box 17 fits against the lower exterior of drum 2 and has the two functionsof heating the interior of drum 2 by radiation through the drum 'wall and of heating the air which is admitted to the drum by reducing valve 21. Heat sensitive thermostatic switch 46 and pressure sensitive reducing valve 21 hold the temperature and pressure within drum 2 to predetermined limits.

The two curved end plates of the drum 2 are identical except that the rear plate has a removable cover 44 for inspection of the ratcheting mechanism and the front plate has a door 45 for the entrance and removal of clothes.

In FIG. 3, to base 28 is secured a post which holds a pivot 29 for contactor arm 30 which is forced down by cam 31 on shaft 32. Shaft 32 is rotated by a small motor or a clock mechanism. Compression spring 33 biases arm 30 upwardly against cam 31 to open electrical contacts 36-37 each time the cam rotates. Contacts 36-37 are secured to insulated posts 34-35 on base 28. Contacting strip 38 is secured to, and insulated from, arm 30. Threaded terminals 41-42 are connected into the circuit which energizes ratcheting coil 4. The contactor operates as a switch alternately opening and closing the circuit. Cam shaft 32 and cam 31 rotate slowly at about 30 rpm. The basket rotation control mechanism of FIG. 3 is located at 40 in the console 39.

In operation, air enters box 17 at 19, is heated by unit 18. Air passes out of box 17 through conduit 20 when released by reducing valve 21 to conduit 23 which passes through the box wall and enters the drum 2 at the lower center section.

The warm air quickly becomes saturated with water vapor and is drawn up to conduit 24 by continuously operating suction pump 25, driven by motor 26. Air is discharged at 27.

When the drying cycle is completed, the control switches are opened and the circuit to coil 43 is momentarily closed. The bypass valve 22 opens and the door may be opened when the pressure within drum 2 rises to atmospheric pressure.

The ratchet action, controlled by the contactor, rotates the basket slowly and turns the clothes over gently. Practically no lint is formed and the lint screen is eliminated from this improved and simplified vacuum clothes dryer.

The present invention is an improvemenet over the previous patent, mentioned above, in that it has fewer parts, is cheaper to build and accomplishes the objective of drying clothes more efiiciently.

What I claim is:

1. In a vacuum clothes dryer, the combination of; an air tight vacuum drum secured within a frame, a motor driven suction pump connected by a conduit to the top of said drum, an insulated box secured to the bottom of said drum, an air heating unit within said box, a heat sensitive thermostatic switch secured to said box and limiting the temperature in said box to a predetermined amount, a pressure sensitive reducing valve connected by conduits to said box and to the lower side of said drum and limiting the pressure in said drum to a predetermined set amount, a rotatable basket within said drum, a shaft secured to said basket, an interior frame within said drum supporting and guiding said shaft, a ratchet'wheel secured to said shaft, a ratcheting amn loose on said shaft, a pawl pivoted to said arm and cooperating with said ratchet Wheel, a slot in said arm, a guided rod and a compression spring cooperating with said slot and said arm, an electromagnetic coil secured to said interior frame, and an ar-mat-ure slideable in said coil and secured to said rod producing intermittent rotation of said basket by the movement of said rod, said arm and said ratchet wheel.

2. In a vacuum clothes dryer, in combination with claim 1, a contacting mechanism, electrically connected to the basket rotating coil, comprising, a pivoted arm, a cam and opposing compression spring actuating said pivoted arm, an insulated contactor secured to said pivoted arm, insulated contacts secured to insulated posts on the base of said mechanism, said contactor connecting said contacts by the action of said cam, a means for rotating said earn, and terminals electrically connected to said contacts altogether forming a switch intermittently energizing said basket rotating coil.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,800,228 4/ 1931 Pierce 34l33 2,574,298 11/1951 Smith 34-44 2,777,313 1/1'957 Dodge 34-92 3,030,712 4/ 1962 Lambert 34-92 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A VACUUM CLOTHES DRYER, THE COMBINATION OF; AN AIR TIGHT VACUUM DRUM SECURED WITHIN A FRAME, A MOTOR DRIVEN SUCTION PUMP CONNECTED BY A CONDUIT TO THE TOP OF SAID DRUM, AN INSULATED BOX SECURED TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID DRUM, AN AIR HEATING UNIT WITHIN SAID BOX, A HEAT SENSITIVE THERMOSTATIC SWITCH SECURED TO SAID BOX AND LIMITING THE TEMPERATURE IN SAID BOX TO A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT, A PRESSURE SENSITIVE REDUCING VALVE CONNECTED BY CONDUITS TO SAID BOX AND TO THE LOWER SIDE OF SAID DRUM AND LIMITING THE PRESSURE IN SAID DRUM TO A PREDETERMINED SET AMOUNT, A ROTATABLE BASKET WITHIN SAID DRUM, A SHAFT SECURED TO SAID BASKET, AN INTERIOR FRAME WITHIN SAID DRUM SUPPORTING AND GUIDING SAID SHAFT, A RATCHET WHEEL SECURED TO SAID SHAFT, A RATCHETING ARM LOOSE ON SAID SHAFT, A PAWL PIVOTED TO SAID ARM AND COOPERATING WITH SAID RATCHET WHEEL, A SLOT IN SAID ARM, A GUIDED ROD AND A COMPRESSION SPRING COOPERATING WITH SAID SLOT AND SAID ARM, AN ELECTROMAGNETIC COIL SECURED TO SAID INTERIOR FRAME, AND AN ARMATURE SLIDEABLE IN SAID COIL AND SECURED TO SAID ROD PRODUCING INTERMITTENT ROTATION OF SAID BASKET BY THE MOVEMENT OF SAID ROD, SAID ARM AND SAID RATCHET WHEEL. 